This device is intended to aid in reducing the risk of operating room fires. An increasing number of incidents have been reported involving operating room fires occurring during surgery, particularly associated with surgery involving the head and neck area. The cause of the fires and the nature of the fire hazards have been investigated and to a large extend determined. Fire results when three elements are combined, an oxidizer, a combustible material, and an ignition source. In the surgical setting, an oxygen rich environment is created near the patient's head or in the patient's mouth, throat and/or nose due to oxygen (or nitrous oxide) flow to the patient through nasal prongs, a mask, or to a lesser extent, an endotracheal tube. The combustible material is the patient's hair and skin, especially when prepped with flammable prep agents such as those containing alcohol. The ignition source is a heat producing surgical tool such as an electrosurgical pencil, electrical cautery device or a laser. The risk is frequently further increased by the practice of draping in such a way that the oxygen rich environment is contained in a smaller volume surrounding the patient's head.
Protocols intending to decrease the risk of operating room fires have been aimed at changing surgical and anesthesia habits. Different preps have been developed, and surgical personnel have been cautioned regarding occlusive draping. It has been proposed that the need for electrical cautery by the surgeon should, if possible, be anticipated so that the anesthesiologist might momentarily stop the flow of oxygen-rich gas to the patient. Thus the oxygen level surrounding the operating field would be lowered by the time the electrical cautery spark about to be used occurred. Protocols which depend on the surgeon anticipating the need for cautery, notifying the anesthesiologist, and ultimately waiting for verbal clearance before applying the cautery are likely to be futile. They are likely to be forgotten or ignored by the busy surgeon. Similar fire risks can be encountered in laser surgery.
There is thus a need to automatically stop the flow of oxygen when the electrical cautery or other heat source such as a laser is about to be used and then not allow the heat source's operation until adequate time has passed to insure that the oxygen level in the field is at a safe level, and the risk of fire has been greatly lowered.